Let's start as I promised, and with the most important Red Gate product we use (and did a case study for, see text below for excerpts)

My job is to monitor SQL Servers and maintain backup/restore, configuration and security. I also try to tune and optimize our code base for performance, and work with developers on stored procedures and database design.

As our software changed and solidified, the need to generate a diff/synch script became apparent. Every time we release new front-end code, a DB sync script needs to go with it if there are any changes. This means with each release, I compare the development database with production backup, check the sync script into TFS, and generate a build (application plus DB script).

[Company] has a license for Red Gate’s SQL Toolbelt, so I’ve used SQL Compare V7 for database migration. SQL Compare V7 is easy to use, and its support of SQL Server 2008 was crucial as we updated our platforms.
Recently, I’ve found that I can use the compare-to-backup feature in SQL Compare V7 to achieve additional benefits, including:

• Greater accuracy – comparing the development database with the verified and only copy of production backup ensures that you get only the expected changes, not unwanted or unexpected ones.

• Time savings– saves you from restoring to both SQL Server and SQL Compare.

• Ease of mind – No need to worry about finding a server to restore – you just need to know the location of the backup.

SQL Compare does what it does very well, and the team behind it at Red Gate are friendly and very helpful. That’s why we use SQL Compare and love it.